


My Sweet Pareidolia (ON HOLD)

by StrugglingToAdult



Category: Ark - Toybunnies, Toybunnies, Toybunnies Ocs
Genre: F/M, Heaven and Hell, Hell, Like really slow, M/M, Romance, Slow Burn, anyways I love this man, ark x reader, i care a lot about plot ok?, jezzyjex, tall sexy bird man go brr, toybunniess, x Reader
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-26
Updated: 2020-09-26
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:55:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,418
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26341504
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StrugglingToAdult/pseuds/StrugglingToAdult
Summary: Nobody cares about you in Hell, it’s every man for himself. Desperate to survive in this unforgiving city with very little memory of your life, you use your limited knowledge and talents, and maybe a special helping hand, to gain a somewhat stable afterlife.In other words, an x reader I made to satisfy my own needs, but now I’m sharing it with you. Enjoy.All OCs are owned by ToyBunnies, Alanis is owned by JezzyJex. You are owned by you ~•v•~
Relationships: Ark/Alanis, Ark/reader
Comments: 3
Kudos: 17





	My Sweet Pareidolia (ON HOLD)

**Author's Note:**

> Hi all! I really don’t know how I feel about this since I haven’t posted my writing in YEARS, so I’d really appreciate you telling me your thoughts on this prologue! I’ll read and reply to all comments <3 love you all
> 
> Songs used are:
> 
> Lazy Bones Bowl-O-Drome by Teddy Hyde  
> Love and Truth by Mother Mother

It felt like your stomach was in your throat. Not the kind of nervous stomach-in-throat you’d typically get when you would stand in front of a crowd, though. This was a falling sensation. You felt lighter, the air around you slowly becoming warmer. The warmth was almost comforting and you wished the moment would never end. However, this feeling of euphoria was taken away like a sledge hammer to the back as your body made contact with the coarse ground below. You yelped, gasping for air and opening your eyes wide as you realised you had been falling that entire time. There were now cuts and bruises on your body and you were quick to grasp the areas in an attempt to lessen the pain. Nothing felt broken, though. Strange. Your eyes shot up to look at your surroundings, still wincing at the pain. You sat in the middle of an empty street, at least you assumed it was empty. Your eyes hadn’t adjusted to how dimly lit it was, so it must have been late in the evening. Sighing, you force yourself to stand, wondering how you got here.

Suddenly, your stomach began to hurt even more as the memories started to return. You remembered an alleyway, a man, and the knife he held tightly in his hand. The overwhelming anxiety was almost too much to handle as you remembered how he plunged it into your stomach. You couldn’t remember why he did it, only that you were heading home from a night of performing. That’s right, you were a singer. You wondered how you had forgotten, but the image of your body lying helplessly on the cement below in that alleyway, watching the world around you disappear, was enough to convince you that you were no longer alive. You lifted your shirt to reveal a large scar where you had been stabbed before looking around again. Your eyes had adjusted now, and you could see the street was indeed deserted and a red hue tainted the atmosphere, making everything appear darker than it already was. There was muffled music coming from a few of the buildings, lights revealing silhouettes of mingling people. You look to the sky, at least, that’s what you were expecting to see. Instead, through a thick mist you could see the rough surface of stone and granite obstructing the view of what would have otherwise been a beautiful night sky. You stopped breathing for a moment, the fear and shame creeping up on you as you understood what had happened.

“Of course, Heaven and Hell happen to be real and I get the short end of the stick,” you became angry, but mostly confused,”Must have fucking deserved it, I guess.” You look around some more, unsure of where to go from here. It would be nice if there was some kind of, ‘Welcome to hell! Here’s how to survive on your first day,’ but you figured it was every man for himself in Hell. Still, you had so many questions. Did you need money? Were you still expected to get a job? Where were you going to stay for the night? The list goes on. The sound of glass clashing and a door swinging open behind you interrupted your train of thought and you turned to see what had caused the commotion. A large, black figure had been thrown out of what you assumed was a bar, voices yelling at them to get lost. You gulped, noticing how massive the demon-like creature was in comparison to you; at least 7ft tall, maybe more. It stood, stumbling left and right before resting a large claw on a nearby trash can, snarling angrily. You were completely frozen in place now. The demon picked up the trash can and threw it in a fit of anger, the object flying past you only inches from your body. You gasped loudly, catching their attention.

“What’re you looking at?!” Their voice was deep and raspy and the words were slurred by the alcohol consumption, their glowing eyes focused on you,”Cute little thing, ain’t ya?” Your entire body had stiffened and all you wanted to do was run,”Ignoring me, aye?!” You tried not to sob, begging your body to move. The creature stood a little taller, stumbling slightly in your direction, mumbling under their breath angrily as you stood helplessly in the middle of the walkway. For a moment, you wondered if it was possible to die in the afterlife. You still couldn’t move.

Just as you thought the demon would pursue you, an even larger figure approached them from behind. Your eyes widened as a large, pale hand wrapped around the first demon’s face before aggressively shoving them to the side and onto the tar road. They yelled angrily, cursing and thrashing around drunkenly as they regained their footing to see who the mysterious figure was that had pushed them. Just as you were, the demon froze and was very quick to fall into silence.

“A-Ark! Shit...” You moved your eyes back to who you hoped had saved you. A tall, almost angelic figure stood a few meters ahead of you. He was incredibly large, possibly 9 or 10 ft, and his eyes- or eye, moved to you for a brief moment. There was a beautiful, golden hue coming from it, making the short moment of eye contact feel like an eternity. You noticed the wings on either side of his face, then the four on his back, then the large scar in the middle of his exposed chest. It was like he didn’t belong in Hell, as far as appearances go. The only thing to knock you out of your trance was that he turned and ducked his head to fit through the door and walk right into the bar without a second thought, leaving you and the first demon alone once more. The demon he shoved must have been blocking the entrance, he didn’t care about your well-being. You didn’t wait around to see what would happen next, however. You had gained control of your body and immediately kicked off the ground and into a sprint in the opposite direction.

—————

You had run for so long that your lungs were burning, so you stopped to catch your breath, leaning against a light post. A glance back confirmed that you hadn’t been followed. Relieved, you brought a hand to your chest in hopes of calming your racing heart. You had only been in Hell for less than half an hour and already came close to death- if that was even possible. You looked around, noticing that the street you had followed seemed to go on forever. There were skyscrapers in the distance and the sounds of speeding cars. Hell must be like a city, just really screwed up. 

You couldn’t help but let a yawn escape your tired mouth. Guess you still needed sleep in Hell, so for now you’d assume that you were at least less than invincible. You began to look around for anywhere to stay, maybe you didn’t need money, or maybe Hell had shelters you could stay in. You seriously doubted that last one, it was hell after all. At that moment, you noticed a dodgy little hotel across the street, and whilst making sure that no cars were coming, you crossed the road and entered the building.

A scruffy looking anthropomorphic demon sat behind what looked like an old kitchen table. They had receipt papers and a box for a cash register sitting in front of them. An old clock ticked loudly above their head, showing the time was 1am. You swallowed hard, hoping to conceal the nerves as you approached the creature.

“E-excuse me?” You didn’t mean to sound so scared, but you still got their attention.

“Need a room?” The creature spoke in a deep, yet feminine voice. Her eyes were fixed on you,”It’s fifty dollars a night for a bed in our open rooms. That, or if you’re looking for a room to live, we can organise that with a bond and a fortnightly rent payment. You’ll have to wait till morning, though.” Money. You had absolutely none. Tears threatened to spill from your eyes. Apologising, you say you were in the wrong place before quickly leaving, walking away from the building. You remembered very little of your life, but in none of those memories were of you experiencing homelessness before. You pinch at your skin in frustration, looking around for a safe place to at least rest if not sleep. There were some alleyways around, and although the last time you remembered being in one you were murdered, you thought that there would be nowhere safer in Hell at this point. Every time you glanced down an alleyway, you’d see at least one more demon or poor sinner like yourself. Occasionally you’d see demons walking on the street as well, hiding in fear of your life when a demon that had the terrifying qualities of a spider paced in the direction from which you came. You certainly didn’t want to have a repeat of the earlier events, or be close to anyone while you slept on the street, so you were very relieved when you finally came upon an alleyway that had been deserted. Holding your breath, you quickly ducked into it before sitting down beside a large dumpster so that you wouldn’t be seen from the street, leaning your body against the coarse wall of the building. Hugging your knees to your chest, you thanked God that Hell wasn’t dangerously cold, or you would never survive a night like this. Maybe you shouldn’t be thanking a God, figuratively or literally, they likely didn’t care about you. These thoughts ran wild through your brain as you slipped into an uncomfortable sleep.

——————

You must have been dreaming, bright lights invaded your vision. The chatter of friends and the sound of upbeat music filled the air. Your vision was blurry, but you could see a man flirtatiously exchanging conversation with you. Then, a hand stealthily stretched out to drop something small into a tall glass full of alcohol. You were confused, it looked like your hand, but you didn’t feel yourself moving at all. There was a trusting smile on this man’s face, the same face you remembered in that alleyway. 

——————

The sound of streaming water close by disrupted your dreaming, and you felt the lower back pain from sleeping upright creep in as you regained consciousness. Opening your eyes, you noticed a demon leaning against the wall of the building a few meters away from you, taking a leak on the cement below. You gasped, making the demon jump a little, and you found yourself sprinting out of the alleyway and back into the street. Once in the clear, you rubbed the sleep from your eyes and felt a pain grow in your stomach. You were hungry, and with no money you would have no food to eat.

You found yourself walking back in the direction from which you had run from the night before, thinking deeply to yourself with your eyes lowered to the pathway. You would need to find a way to get money, and it had to be done today if you didn’t want to be eating out of a trash can. Surely somewhere would let you clean for them, or maybe they didn’t care about catering courses and would let you serve food and drinks, or something. The glowing of a neon sign interrupted your train of thought, and you realised you had come upon the same bar you had run from. The large glowing letters read ‘Karma’s Pub’. There was no longer music coming from inside, or the sounds of mingling people and demons. You approached the door, noticing a demon cleaning up the bar. You could only see the back of their head, but they seemed approachable enough, so you clenched your fist and took a chance, opening the door and entering. The bar was surprisingly well put together other than the lingering smell of alcohol and cigarettes, and neon lights added a beautiful glow to the otherwise dimly lit space around the demon in front of you.

“I’ve just closed up, not serving anything else ,” he was still facing the opposite direction, stacking spirits on the shelves.

“I’m looking for... work?” Damn, you needed to work on not sounding so timid. You quickly cleared your throat and continued,”I just got here, I need the money.” The demon turned around to look at you. He had the head of a dog and you couldn’t help but shiver at the sight of his teeth.

“What kinda work do you do?” It sounded as though you were wasting his time. You were here after closing time after all, so you were quick to elaborate.

“I’ll do anything really; clean, serve drinks- even if I could learn how to make them I would, I just-“

“Got enough cleaners already,” he interrupted,”You newcomers are all the same, get lost.” You felt helpless, unable to think of a way to respond. You looked to the other side of the bar and noticed a small, run down stage. You were a performer when you were alive, right? 

“I... I can sing,” you looked back at him, trying not to sound desperate,”I think...” good one, (Y/N).

“You think?” He scrubbed a glass with a cloth, raising a brow,”we haven’t had live performers for a while, I’ll consider lining you up if the Boss thinks you’re any good.” He looked at you expectantly. You stared at him for a bit, unsure of what to do. Feeling like an idiot, you realised he wanted to hear you sing, so you quickly jumped up on the stage. For a moment, you could swear it was a bar full of eager eyes staring back at you instead of empty chairs. This was familiar, very familiar. You felt warm inside, the nerves settling more and more and you tried to think of something to sing. You closed your eyes before taking a deep breath.

“No, I’m not here to compete, I came to give you my card,” your eyes fluttered open a little, memories of bright lights shining on your face returning,”I didn’t come to sweep feet, but just to dust off my heart,” you couldn’t help but begin to swing your body from side to side, the muscle memory of performing taking over.

“Must have been missing your 7-10s, guess you were just out of frame,” you looked to the demon who had moved from behind the bar and was now leaning against a table,”Oh, this place is teeming with people talking in present tense. Perhaps you’d care to spare the time and split a lane.”

“Oh, be at ease, at ease!” It felt incredible to sing again, repeating the line and pushing your voice to be louder with closed eyes,”Let your will slip, take your time, at the La-“

“Ã̶̟l̸̛͉̲͉͑r̵̛̩̍i̴̛͕g̴͉̯͉͒̈h̸͕͐t̴̙͐,̸̻̞̞͂̇ ̶̞̋͂̋t̵̮̿̆h̷̳̦͒a̶̲̜̾n̵̢̲̾ͅk̷̨̫̓s̶͇̎̅̂.̷̢͉̃ ̴͉̥̠̉̃͠T̵̡̛̖͝h̵̪̲̐͝a̴̗͒̍͑t̶̤͎̲̀̚͝’̸̛͈̱͓̇s̷̮̘̔ ̶̨̋ė̸̫̂n̶̠̗̮͐̉̒o̸̯̟̘̿̀ù̷͈̬̈́g̸̘̞̳͒͘̕ḧ̴̦́͗̉,̷̠̌” an unfamiliar voice interrupted, you choked a little as you stopped singing abruptly, looking down to the figures below. Another demon had entered the room, coming through a doorway to a staircase that likely lead to an apartment upstairs. He was extremely tall, maybe even as tall as that angelic man you had a brief encounter with the night before. His skin was grey, darkening to pitch black at the ends of his limbs and face, along with two scimitar horns that stretched far above his head. His teeth were so white that they practically glowed against the neon lights of the pub, and the same could be said for the one eye that was visible on the left side of his face. The spikes sticking out from his shoulders added to his intimidating demeanour, and you felt the hair on your neck stick up once you noticed the unusual nature of his hands. He motioned for you to come to him. With your heart pounding in your chest, you walked down the steps of the stage and approached him, the reality of his size dawning on you with each step.

“Y̴͓̒̽̕o̴̢͂͐̍ȕ̴̗̐͜’̸̘͌͛̕v̶̮̈́e̶̢̡͊̈́̕ ̵͓̙͗͝g̸̫̑̈́͘o̴̮̟̎t̴̘̹̆̏ ̶̨̤͆͐a̷̤͋̆͝ ̸̪͖͐́̒v̸͈͓͕̑̄̕o̷̳̲̎ị̵̤̣͌̓̽c̵̹͊͗̒e̶̺̯̯̔̉,̸̹̤̆́ ̵̳̃͋̐I̷̻̽͆̇’̷̲̾̃l̷̬̙͕͛͋͛l̵̤̋̕ ̶̨̯́̍̒ģ̴̧̔͠i̸̐̏̕͜v̵͚̈̏͒é̷̦͘ ̷̲̗̳̋y̵̰̫̼̿̍͐o̴̫̒̿ͅu̵̗̬͖͆͠ ̶͉̜͕͘t̷̰͍́͒h̸͍̠͌̚͝ä̷̢͔͜͠ẗ̵̗́.̷̠̦͂͠ ̶̘̯̔I̸̢̩̔̈͊ ̵̤̑̀á̷̘͂ĩ̶̹̚n̵̨̼̋͋ͅ’̸̡̹̕t̸͉͗ ̴̧̛̗̊h̸̨̠̘̅̊͘a̵̫͛̕͝v̶̤̜͑ȉ̸̮̋͘ņ̶͎̞̑̎̓g̵̢̝͌ ̴̱͇̠̽̀͠s̶̢͉̙̀͊̊o̴̤͓̝̅̾m̵̲̞͛ẹ̴̯̍o̵͓̙̬͛̉n̸͈̯̏͊e̸͈͍͇̐ ̸͇̪̀s̸͇̯͎̿i̴̝̪̽̑͜͠n̸̡̘̘͑̂͋g̵̛̝̼̊ ̸͕̉̽͛i̵̦̚ǹ̵̺̙͋͠ ̵̭͈͈̑̏m̵̻̞͙̓̎́y̸͍̠̽͂ ̴̝͉̔̌̍ṗ̴̤͚̈u̶̯͂b̴͉͚̊́͋ ̵̲̬͉͗̌d̴̬͌̕r̴̡͔͚͋e̷̍͜s̴̬̜̓̓ś̶̲͛é̶͔̦̿͌d̷̙̐͆ ̵̨̀̇l̸̳̝̿̾͘͜ḭ̷̉͆ǩ̴̢̧̥͊ḛ̴̰̩̃̀ ̵̹̣̽̎ṯ̷͓̥̒h̷̳̹̣̄̋a̸̢̯͔̍̔ţ̸̡̺̎,̷̻͈́̓̃ ̴̙̹͇̎͐͝t̴̩͇̩̆h̴̠̟͌̚ö̸̖́͑͊u̷̼͍̇̓g̵̱̀ḣ̸̪͋͠.̸̞̪͖͝” Yikes, this guy was kind of a dick. You looked at your tattered clothes that were dirtied from sleeping in the alleyway with a heavy heart.

“Apparently she just dropped in, Boss,” the anthropomorphic dog explained, his hands on his hips. The tall demon who must have been Karma and owned the pub rubbed the bridge of his nose, or lack thereof, with a squinted eye, thinking some more.

”T̶͖̾͆̈́ĥ̸̘e̵̩̒r̶̟̓͜͝e̶͙̭͐ ̵͕̠̈s̷͖̈́h̸̤̙͒͒̑ͅö̷̳̦̖û̷͓͖̲̆́l̶̯̳̾d̵̹̽ ̶̮̙̈́b̴͙̟̚͠͠ȅ̸̩́ ̵̪͋̒s̵̡̠͛̈́̈o̵̡̨̬͐̑ṁ̶̮̲͐͛è̵̠͖t̵̖̯̳̀̈́̔h̶̡͑͠͠i̵̝͂n̸͈̞̈́̂̓ǵ̸͙̊ ̴͖̓̚͘t̶͍̖̄̇ẖ̵̢̝̉ẻ̶̞͍y̸̮̩̎͘͠ ̶̪̺̫̊c̷̳͉̑̕͜à̴͉̗ͅn̷̢̨̨̛̿ ̷͓͊w̴͙͉̽ě̸͔a̷͕̖͉͋̀͊ȑ̸͉̬̲͝ ̴̟̩̎̀i̶͈̼̾͒n̵̍̑͜ ̵̜͖̘̍t̶͘͜h̸̢͔̳͂e̷̫͉̿̋͌ ̸̪̻̒̿͑b̶̳̒͋͜a̶̘̔̅̊c̶̱̱͆ͅk̶̖̲̭̍́̏,” he looked at the shorter demon, then back to you,”I̸̗͙̣͘’̷̝̩̑͠l̶͚̜̆̚l̵̜̩̼̊ ̴͎͚̈͊̎g̶̙̭͂͗̕ͅi̷̭̪̊͠v̶̡̤͇́̓̒e̶͍̐́̂ ̵̛̩̗̝̓y̶̥̿̐̚o̵̹̫̍̋͒ủ̶̪͖̓͜ ̸͙͍̗͌͠ò̶̼̭n̷̲̏e̶̗͔͛ ̷̩͆͛̀s̶̙͑ỏ̵̠͚n̶̛͈̣͇͐̍ğ̷̮͕̯ ̶̼̗͝t̴͇̻̱̀̀̑o̶̧̹͚̓̑̀n̷̘̞͑ỉ̶̜̿̚ͅg̸̼̈́͗ͅh̶̹͗͠ţ̸͖̰̅͂̒ ̷̩͖̝͛ã̴̦̫̄n̵͇̖͌͛d̵͎̒̕ ̶̲̦̉̈́͛i̷̡͙̐̑f̴͇̘̀̏̒ͅ ̷̮̞͌̌̀ẏ̸̜̥͠͝o̸͖̊͝ứ̶̬̜̭’̸̫̦̽͐r̵̡̄͗̈́e̷͖̘̬̐̈́̀ ̶̫̈́ġ̴͈ͅo̵͔̖̠̍o̴͍̎͒ḋ̵͙̰̗ ̸̟̭͐͆̃ė̵̟͔̼̈́n̷̨̥̦̒̄͝o̴̺̐̓u̵̺̼̐̃g̸͇̮̅h̷͗͌̕ͅ,̴̗̈́ͅ,” he holds out a hand in the smaller demons direction without breaking eye contact with you, they hand him some cash and he passes half of it to you as continues,”Ĩ̷̟͇’̶̪̌l̴͖͛̂̈l̵̢̛̛͓̞͒ ̷͚̹́̂͜ǵ̴͍̾ȉ̸̜v̴͉͙͔̊́̇ȩ̶̫̈́̀ ̵̧̰͂̓y̵̞̪̯͂͆͝o̴̫̹͜͝ũ̷̱͓͝ ̷͓̯̮̿̏t̴͎͐h̵͙͎͂̎e̷̞̭͆ ̴̬͓̻́͑ǒ̶̡̜͈̃ẗ̸̮̹́h̴̦̏̾e̵̳͆ŕ̴͓ ̸̛̘͠h̵̦̊ą̷̬̟̀l̸̠̔f̸̲̘͕͋̃ ̸͍̀̈́ơ̷̖̲͌f̷̛̳̐ ̶̭̩̮͑̈́̿t̴̻͔̐ḩ̸͖̊̈ì̷̱̣̼̆s̵̜͊̊ͅ ̴̬͙̼͘p̸͇̪̱͋a̶̻̮̙͆y̵̬̹̙̅m̶̳̽ë̶̦́̉n̷̜̿ť̷̗̙̪͝,̴̟͂ ̷̠̠̇a̶͕̎͗͐l̵̜̠͂͜o̵̟̞̿n̵͕̪͝g̶̯̊ ̵̨̘̈͒w̷̗̞̣̃̂i̸̤͊ṯ̵̟͊̀͘h̵̜͚̕ ̶̺͂̉͌à̸̭͓̲̈ ̷͚̼̾l̴̨͚̒́̚i̷̼̇͝n̶̩̺̬͂͆ě̴̩̖̺u̵̧̜̓p̸͍͂ ̶̨̤̳͗̇f̷̲̥͌̂o̷̭͒r̶͛͜͠ ̶̝͊̎t̶̩̗̄h̵̤̐ͅë̶̠́ ̴̯̻͑̎r̶̪̖͗̀̈́ȅ̴̟͈s̷̬̬̅̔t̵͖͈̉̄͗ ̵͓̅͝o̶̝̤͊͑͜f̴̦̀ ̶̲͖̈́̃t̵͚̽̇͊h̴͎͚̦̽̀̀ȅ̸̞͇̍ͅ ̷͖̬̐w̸̠͆̚è̵͍̜̹͂̉ĕ̵̛̞̭̖͘ḳ̷͑̚.̸̭̀ ̷̫̑L̷̛̪̝i̸͓̬̚͝v̸̪͈̌̏ë̴̗͚́̌ ̶̩͒p̶͚̺͇̈̅͝ë̵͇́͐r̴̩͝f̶̥̒o̵͇̟̿̑̋ř̸͕̑͋m̸̻̹̻̋̈́͋ȇ̸͉͈̫̓r̶̢̝̀̽͌ͅș̷̢̇͒ ̴̢̓͘ả̸̪̖̯̕l̸̨͍̲̄ẁ̷̥͇̈́͜a̸͔̳̺͌y̵̱̺̓̃s̷͔͗ ̸̗́̐̀ă̵̡̨̬̕͝t̸̳̖̠͛͂̿t̶̮̔̓͝r̷̜̻̿ǎ̵̯͝c̶̦̘͌͠ţ̴̹̱̂̇ ̵̪̈̾̂m̷̰̟̗͑̿o̶̡̭͚̓r̴̺̉͘e̵͕͐͠͝ ̵͍̭̈́̋͝ṕ̸͚͂͐e̵̠͔̽o̵̤̻̍͌̀p̶̡̿̅͜ĺ̴͈̑ė̶̯͇͎ ̷̬͓͒ä̷̺̘͔́͑̾n̶̜͉̚ý̵͜w̷̻̍a̸̮̳̓͒͗y̷͚͙͖͂̓͘s̶̡̬̩̀̽,̵̥̾͝ ̵̺̎̔s̵͕̭̈̋ô̶̖͔̾ͅ ̷̧̱̙̑̔y̴̰̹̩̔̆̓o̵̳͑ṷ̶̲̈̂ ̶̣̈́ḇ̴̫̥̌ê̴͕͕͗̍t̴̜̱̝̏̔͘t̵̳̓e̴̞͑͘͝ṛ̶̗͒̒́ ̶̬̪̱̅̒n̵̙̐o̶̦̽̈̄t̵̢̳͂́͜ ̵̢̝͕̀̇̕w̸̖̎͂ă̵̧̬̳s̷̼̖̜̎͠t̶̖͇̜̃̐̆e̶͓̲͊ͅ ̸̭́m̵̖͆̽͝ý̸̩̆ ̴͕̽t̶̳͂i̸̼̒m̵̺͙͗͘é̶̫̐,” You looked down at the notes, trying not to cry. It wasn’t much, but all you could think about was food. You thanked him and got the details for the show that night.

——————

You discovered it was currently about 4:50am and that the bar was open from 8pm to 3am. You would sing at 11pm and had discussed your song of choice with the bartender at Karma’s Pub, and he said that he could organise the music with a band. They’d be practicing all day and you were welcome to join at any time. You felt happy for the first time since entering Hell, but also incredibly nervous.

“Swear to God, (Y/N), if you fuck this up...” you mumbled to yourself as you made your way down the opposite end of the street to find somewhere that would open soon for food. You were so happy you wouldn’t have to eat out of a trash can, and for a moment you felt as though life in Hell might not be so hard for you. Even so, you made sure you were careful as it was still extremely early. Once somewhere opened their doors, you were quick to eat your fill before returning to the bar to practice for the rest of the day.

——————

Even though you felt ugly standing in an outfit that smelled like 20 years of built up sweat, you sang the last note as passionately as the first. The response from the audience wasn’t very uplifting, everyone was too busy drinking and trying to hook up with other demons, you guessed. There was the occasional clap and you even got a whistle as you thanked the audience and stepped off of the stage, making your way into the back room. You let out a sigh of relief and approached a mirror someone had dumped in the room. It was so scratched up that you could only just make out your face, cracks in the top corner daring it to fall apart. Just as you were about to change, Karma abruptly entered the room without knocking, an envelope in hand. If he wasn’t potentially going to be your boss, you might have slapped him.

“Ḯ̸͙̗͍’̵̡̣͝l̴̢̖̔ḻ̷̘̠̈́̌̕ ̷̢̱͆͝s̷̗̃̀a̵̢͠y̷̢̌͑ ̴̨̫̦͐̒͋į̷̖̄́̉t̵̤͓̍͜͠ ̶̱̎a̸͚͗g̸͇̅̊a̷̛̭͊i̷̦̥͆̏n̸̨͌;̴̪́̚ ̸̮̈̃̈́d̴̜̊͜o̵̗͘͝ņ̸̩̑’̵̳̊t̴̼̿̈́ ̴̧̖͂̄̅m̷̢̘̤͋̃a̸̧͛̿́k̵̡͐̍͜e̷̛͉͖̥͂̑ ̴̡͎̙̎m̶͕̣͐͗̓e̶͕̳͑ ̷̭͖͆r̷̘̰͈͒̀e̸̛͉͑̾ģ̷̃͆͠ṛ̷̞͘ȩ̵͙͌ͅt̸̲̼́́̈́ ̶̨̹͔̈̌͆t̴̗̥̀́͜h̶̢̀͛̐ͅḯ̸͍s̴̫͔̻͛́̈́,” he offered the envelope and you took it eagerly,”y̸̙̅͋o̴̓͆͜͠u̶̻̼͘ͅ’̸̗̯̠̒̐l̸͉̍l̶͈̂͊ ̸̰̥͝f̷̢̧̣̏̃̅į̶̈ͅn̸̩̤̦͆̅d̶̪̩̗̿͝ ̴͚͆̚t̶̟͒͗h̶̭̣͑̆e̶͇̒̏ ̶͖́l̵̻̓͒͊ỉ̷͔̀́ň̴̺̖̲̈́e̵̤̬͍͝ű̷͍͈͠p̸̻͆̐͐ ̶̰̥̺̌f̸̢̺̭͑ò̷̭̎r̸͖̠͕͊͝ ̵̧̺̻̓y̷̮͗̈́͊ó̵̭̫̩ů̶̠͙̻r̶̢̅͋ ̷̘̦̓͆n̷̦̔͊̋e̵̮͈̙͂x̸̨̳̳̋͝t̵͔̜̖̿̾ ̵̨̟͉̑s̸͆ͅh̷͓͇̒͊o̶̱͐ẁ̵̧̘̕ṡ̸̢͋̏ ̴̨̒i̷̠̽͂ņ̵͎͋͐͜ ̸͇̟̏̊t̴̨̿̈̒h̵͕̠̞̒͌̋e̷͎̓̔̋r̸̗̪̼̒́e̷̺̊̏ ̵̥͓͇͊a̷̟̪̎͜͝s̴̲͒̄͠ ̵̡̖̦̉w̴̥͓̯̓̚͝ȇ̶͌̈͜l̷̺̾̈͝ļ̸́ ̸̜͘a̷̲̝͊͆͘s̷̪̃͘ ̴̝̱͕͘ẗ̵̫̘̒̍h̴̪͂ë̶̗͈̂ ̶̖̂̉̓o̷̘̤̽̏̾t̵̡͔͘͜ḧ̶̖̤̪́͒̿e̵̯̯͋͝r̷͍̘̺͌͊ ̸̛̭̜̍͜ḣ̵̠̫͘a̴̗͎̣͂͋͝l̷̬̱̘̀f̴̧̤̎̀ ̷̭̻͈̒̈̑ő̴̝̤͝f̵͙̲̬̀̎ ̸͓̿ȳ̴͇ǒ̷͙̖͙͝ù̸͙̚r̷̙̎͐̚ ̸̧̘͘p̵̱͌̏à̸͍̉y̷͈͝ͅm̵͓̃͝͝e̴̹̮̹̋̃͛n̷͓͇̍ẗ̸͙̻͑̌ ̵̬̺̲͗̐̂f̴͎̠̒o̴̱͖̪͐r̸͉̉ ̵̧̫͂͝ţ̵̀̊̕ͅͅo̴̼͈̠̊n̷̼̝̓͜ì̶̹̇͝g̷̖̹̒̃h̴̛̬̉̚ẗ̴̪́̓͊,” you tried to contain your excitement while showing gratitude, thanking him many times before he left you to change. You unchanged till you were in your underwear, picking up a clean rag and soaking it under a rusty basin in the room before wiping down your body. You smelled horrendous after wearing the spare outfit, not to mention after sleeping next to a dumpster, so this was the closest thing you would have to a shower. After getting back into your original clothes, you counted your money. The pay definitely wasn’t great. It could get you a bed for the night, but that would leave hardly any money for food and potentially something better to wear for shows. You sighed sadly, knowing you’d likely be sleeping on the street again, but felt relieved that you managed to seal the deal on a job so quickly. The schedule showed that you would be on and off for the week, so you would need to focus on saving money.

You decided to stick around for the rest of the night, sitting in a chair on the edge of the room in an effort to avoid any discourse, watching the band do what they do best. There were a few drunken fights between demons, one even having passed out with his head down on the bar. Despite the chaos, you admired how the band continued as if nothing was wrong. You took a note of this.

At some point in the night, you felt a familiar presence pass you, the extremely tall figure catching your eye. You only caught a glimpse of the giant wings that draped behind him before disappearing through the door and up the flight of stairs. Your heart pounded in your chest. It could have been anyone, but something told you that you’d seen that mysterious figure the night before. No matter what you did for the rest of the night, you couldn’t get the thought out of your head, and before you knew it, it was 3am and everyone was kicked out of the pub, including yourself. You returned to the same alleyway with a hard head, this time moving another trash can around to hide your sleeping body from anyone who might pass by. Once you felt as though you’d be safe, you tucked the envelope inside of your shirt and sat down, many thoughts still dancing in your brain before you passed out, the exhaustion of the day hitting you all at once. You’d need the rest, tomorrow night’s show might not be so easy going.

—————

The exact same dream invaded your sleep, blurred images coming together to form what felt more like a memory. This time however, the dreams continued. You were holding two glasses, one outstretched in hopes the man sitting with you would take it. He did, and you watched as he took generous sips of the beverage. It was difficult to piece together what was happening. Were you... drugging this man?

You woke up with a gasp, holding your chest to ease your pounding heart. You had no idea what had happened, trying to collect your thoughts. By the time you had calmed down, you had already fallen back into a restless sleep.

—————

You looked at the cash in your hand, then back up to the cheap clothing you had found in a run down store. You could buy yourself some super cheap clothes for sleeping in, or spend the rest of your money on a nicer, but still cheap, outfit for the show tonight. You figured you should prioritise keeping a job, so you picked up a pair of high waisted black pants and a white button up top for. There was nothing wrong with you wearing the worn out, white sneakers on your feet with this. You had spent little money on a quick breakfast, and looked sadly at the even smaller amount that remained from last night’s pay. Thank goodness you’d be paid again tonight, or else you wouldn’t be able to get yourself breakfast the next morning. Still, you felt accomplished having bought yourself an outfit you would be more comfortable if you ever came into contact with the drunken demon from your first night, or anyone else who acted as such. The image of that angelic man appeared in your mind, your heart leapt into your throat for a moment. You remembered seeing him last night and wondered for a moment if he lived at Karma’s Pub, that thought frightened you. You decided your way back to practice before the thoughts could continue. The owner - Karma, but you called him Boss - made a comment about you being around to practice all day again, but admired your dedication. You showed him the clothes you had picked up and he approved of them, although he said it was extremely bland. God, he couldn’t just leave it, he had to add some snarky comment on the end. Anything was better than that sweaty mess in the back, however.

You made your way over to the band who had just finished practicing their own music. They greeted you before a guitarist handed you a piece of paper,”Boss wants you to sing these, since we already know them,” you gulped hard, worried about singing a songs you didn’t know for the rest of the week, especially tonight. However, you gave them a firm nod before you began memorising the words. You would be singing late, so you had plenty of time.

——————

You were beginning to wish you hadn’t been listed to sing so late, covering your mouth as you yawned. It’s difficult to get a proper night’s sleep sitting next to a dumpster, and two nights of it was really beginning to have an impact on you, you worried you wouldn’t be able to maintain it. Snapping back to reality, you stared at yourself in the mirror in the back room as you slipped into the black pants and button up shirt, leaving the first few buttons undone and tucking it into your high waisted pants. That definitely helped the outfit seem more interesting. You wipe your face with a wet rag, singing quietly to yourself to make sure you were warmed up and definitely had the song down. You couldn’t help but smile to yourself, excited for the thrill of performing to return. You jumped as the door opened, your boss leaning in.

“Y̴̪̅̌͝o̷̱̺̅̃̊ŭ̸͔̐̍’̵̼̖̱̃̑r̷̻̬̓e̸͍̅͒ͅͅ ̵̛̝͔̺̐̕ŏ̷̙͒͝n̸̮̝̳̑ ̸̝̘͂i̸͔̱̻̔͑̕n̶̨͈̭͛̉̊ ̵̫͙͔̔̉͝f̶̗̠̍̒͑i̵̛͉̣̇̆v̴͓̊ȅ̴̼̰̙,” you nod, trying to contain the frustration from Karma’s invasive habits. You stood at the doorway and waited for the band to be ready. Your eyes traced over the mingling demons, hoping that you wouldn’t see a familiar face. You thought that you should probably knock on wood, or something. Before you knew it, five minutes had passed and the band wrapped up a song. You swallowed hard and walked through the pub and up onto the stage, turning to face your audience with a mostly forced smile. You nod at the band and they begin to play.

“Is my life, not all that I thought it would be?” Eyes began to turn toward you, your confidence slowly building as your hips swayed,”Is it simply ordinary? Or is it far from all my fantasies? I lie awake,” your expressions were exaggerated, telling a story with your face as well as your voice,”I lie awake at night and - brood! About the things I never do,” you focused on the audience, many people had returned to their drinking or flirting and chatter,”And how I’m missing out on love and truth! Oh, love and truth. Why are they so hard to achieve?” You mentally begged for the audience to respond more enthusiastically, but people likely had better things to think about in hell,”Oh, love and truth. Well, they’re such hot commodities, but come in such small quantities! Oh, love and truth, where are you?” It became apparent that if you wanted to keep this job, you’d need to give more to the audience,”Oh, where are you? Oh, oh!”

As the band continued to play, you took the microphone from its stand and began dancing around the stage. The movement drew more eyes toward you, but also pulled your eyes toward them in return. You noticed your boss, Karma, return from upstairs. As you continued to dance, your mind wondered to what he had been doing, but the figure that followed close behind him forced your thoughts into panic. The same tall, angelic man you had a brief encounter with entered with Karma, the two of them conversing. You almost let your panicked thoughts come through in your performance, but you forced yourself to suppress them. You had to keep this job.

“I dance! I go out on the town and dance,” the energy of the pub has somehow lifted with the energy of your performance, Karma and this mystery man - you tried to remember his name, had that demon called him Ark? Maybe, but they were now sitting at the bar and turning their heads to watch you,”I go and try to find romance, but all I come home is with empty hands! Oh, boo, hoo, hoo!” You tried your best to avoid looking at them,”Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no! Oh, cha-chagrin!” Your eyes fell upon that golden eye you had been entranced by before,”Oh, all I really want is love and truth! Oh, love and truth.” It was the same as before, you felt unable to look away,”Why is it that I cannot find it? Oh, love and truth,” it took a lot of strength to pull away from his powerful gaze,”Well, if everything was up to me, well, I’d make sure there was plenty of love and truth. Love and truth, where are you?”

You sang the rest of the song with your heart in your throat, your eyes tightly closed, realising that once you finished your set, you’d no longer be protected by the fourth wall against the demon, or any other demon at that. Despite this, the song finished on a high, and the response from your audience surprised you. At least, it surprised you by Hell’s standards.

—————

You sang a few more songs, some extremely drunk demons singing along if they knew the words, though they could barely say the lyrics while under the influence. You thanked everyone in the bar, thanked the band, then stepped off the stage to let them continue playing on their own. Your brain was an emotional roller coaster and you prayed to God you could sneak past Karma and who you assumed was Ark. You wanted to get changed and leave as soon as possible. If the demon from the other night was terrified of him, you had every reason to be as well.

“Ǫ̸̼̥̈́̌̏i̷̯̫̦͗́͌͘!̵͍͉͙̀̉̊̾̽!” Karma’s distorted voice pierced your ears. Fuck you, God. You turned on your heel, defeated, and made your way over to him. The angelic demon had his elbows on the bar and was looking over his shoulder at you. Karma spun on the tall stood he sat on to face you, carelessly throwing an envelope at you. You barely caught it, embarrassed at the small surprised yelp you let escape your mouth in response.

“Th-Thank you, Boss...” your eyes were fixed to the floor.

“A̴͔̖̺͑̍̅̏̎̊y̴̜͒̔̕͘ͅͅ,̴̘̬̪͎͎́͋̌̄̓̆ ̷̛͖͝A̸̠̐̋̋̌̎͜r̵̟͗̈́͊̓͒k̴̹̔,̸̢͚̥̯̗͚̌̀̿ ̵̢̞̲̼͓̅̉͆t̵̘͓͍̪͍̰͊́̈̅ḩ̶̱̪͕̣̐̓̉i̸̎͊̏̑͛͊ͅs̴̥̈̽͒̔̔͝ ̷̥̳̑͗͆͘i̵̫͔̮͑s̸̨͕͚͖̀̈́...” he clicked the fingers on one of his deformed hands in your direction, his face was squished as if thinking very hard.

“(Y-y/n)...” you hoped maybe someone would accidentally hit you over the head with a chair and bring with it the sweet release of death, again.

“Ẏ̵̖̗̰̂ȩ̸̉a̸̝̭̺͒̽͑ḧ̸̢́,̵̧̩͍̌̑̽ ̵̣̣̩̾(̵̰͔̥̕͝Y̶̠̒͛̀/̵̝͓̀̇͝n̸͉͖̩̾̎)̵̡͓̺̉̐͝,” he grabbed the beverage he had been drinking before and took a swing of it,”Ẅ̸͓́͌̆h̴̰̥̅̚ȃ̴̮̯̱͑t̷̥̗̂̿ ̷͉̘̄̔d̷̨̺̿̍ǫ̴̙͑ ̸͎̳̌͒͂ỳ̵͉͉à̴͓̀̋ ̶̧̛̲͑̿t̶̩͆́h̴̥̾̃ĩ̷̫͋̿ǹ̵̩̅k̵̓͜ ̵̨̀ȯ̷͖͎f̵̧̭̕ͅ ̸̙͈̲͐̕t̴̮̅͋̚h̵͈̉̈́e̴̗̲̤͊į̵̗̒̐͒r̵̜͍͝ ̴̤̎͘p̸̧̛̥̪̎̏e̵̢̞̪̒̚r̷̦͆f̴͚̮̄̒͘ò̶̜̣̪r̶̫̋͝m̷̡̤̓̂a̷̰͝n̸̫̅̓c̷͕̺̀̽ê̴̺͎?̶̪̝̈́ ̷̰͖͂S̷͍̎̏h̸͎͎͐͋o̵̼̤̳̒̾͘u̸͍͖̽l̵͕͗̐͝d̸̠̪̩͗̀̇ ̸̊̋͜Í̴̝͙͚ ̸̩̀s̴̮̲̱͠ȃ̶̻̳c̵͔̤̥̀͊̕ķ̷̮̜̂͠ ̴̳̮͚̓̀̀‘̸̛̹͓̾͒e̸̤͚͑̄m̴̫̱̪͆?” You stiffened at that. He was going to leave it up to his friend to decide if you get sacked or not? This demon could easily say anything he wanted, so you braced yourself for the worst.

“They’re entertaining, sacking them now wouldn’t make sense,” the new voice caused you to lift your gaze. You had never heard a voice so deep and smooth, it was mesmerising,”People love entertainment, it’s refreshing - and rare here in hell. They could make you a lot of money,” you felt your heart settle a little, watching as Karma scratched his chin as if thinking.

“Ẇ̷̡͓o̵̢͉̻͠w̷̼̭̯͆,̴̪̖̿ ̸̩̒̆͜y̷̙͝o̷͉̖͍͒u̵̲̱̽͠͠’̴̳̎͘ř̵̦̫̄ḙ̶̒ ̷̹̰̹͑̄̽o̴̥̳̠͆ṋ̴̅̂͝e̷̪̘͕͊ ̴̨̟̋̎c̵̠͚͖̕o̸̲̓͛̀ñ̵̡͍̩v̸͖͓̅͊͜i̵͇̣͈̓̇͝ñ̴̞̮̳̕c̶̱̬̈́ḯ̵̼̮ͅn̷̨̰̚͘ḡ̶̛̭͎ ṃ̶͉̙͊͊̐o̷͈͙̤̍̌ẗ̷͇́h̸͙͎̅̀͜e̴̢͈̫̿r̶̝̎̑f̶̬̺̾͝ů̸̡̞̞̕c̷̛̞̓͘k̴̼̔̕e̵̘͐̄r̵͇̅,̵̘͔̊ ̴̫͎̘̇̿ą̵̠̈́̈́r̴͍̃ȅ̵͙͇͉ǹ̵̡̺̱̈’̸̹͗̚͝t̷̡͍̙̃̽ ̷̜͂̌y̶̡͎̖͒͆̌o̴̜͌͂͘ụ̶̢͂̉͛ ̶̟͚̮̀̔Ȃ̶͖͖̏r̵̬͔̃k̴̡̙̩̂?” His comment provoked a lighthearted whack over the back of the head,”Ă̵̛̱͈͜l̴̺̺̰̆r̷͖̀i̸̘̯̓g̸̲̔̒h̷̜̀͘t̷͓̏,̴͉̮͌͊̌ ̵̯͎͝t̷̡̰̐̓ͅh̷͉̎͋e̴͖̎y̶̱̲͌ ̷̭̞̣͗ǵ̷̞̦̎ê̴̩̯͚͝t̶̛͔̪̗́ ̴̢̪͐m̴͇̓͂o̴͚̲͂̀r̷̡͓͎̍̀e̵͕̱̬͝ ̷̯̲̪̈́̎s̸̭͚̺͛͌̑h̴̰͂o̶̠͙̿̈́w̷̙͊̽͝ś̴̢̝̀!” You couldn’t contain the sigh of relief, Karma laughed at you shamelessly which pissed you off,”P̵͔̤̍͝u̷̮̩̯̚l̸̓ͅl̷̟̆̽́ͅ ̸̰͆̃̑u̷̱͑̚ͅp̷̞̾ ̵̛̭̔͝a̸̗̓ ̴͈̯̽c̵̙̠̾h̷͚̫͂a̸̞̺̭͌͑į̸̽͝r̶͉̅̈!̶͙͌͗ ̷̢̟̍̈́Ś̸̤p̶̨̛e̷̳̝̙̓n̷̦̓d̶̖͋̈ ̵̛̯͖y̶̙͚̔a̵̧̓͆ ̸̙́e̴̮͉͙̐͛̚a̵̫̯͎̿͑r̴̨̞̓͌͂n̸͓̥̾͘ï̵̪̱̗̀͒n̴̮̓͘͜g̶̫̾̚ş̶̾ ̴̛̮̀̈́o̶̢͇̰̔̍ṉ̷̞̇ ̷̝͉̑s̶̟̮̏̒ò̷̹̉͛ṁ̷̟̿ē̷̫ ̷̝͉̈́́̂ḩ̷͈͕̾̅a̷͙̟̒ŕ̷͍̪̳d̶̛̳͓͎͒ ̷̧͖̍l̸̩̤͑̽i̴̳̹͒q̷͎͔̓̊u̶̟̿̽̚o̵̖̮̊r̶̖̠͈͐̈́͆!” You definitely didn’t want to spend all of your money on alcohol, but a drink did sound nice at this point. There was a free stool next to Ark, so you made your way over to it. You didn’t realise until you got there that the stools were much bigger than one you would typically see on Earth. Most of the demons in Hell were so tall, it only made sense the furniture was made to suit them. You tried your best to climb your way into the elevated chair, causing Karma to erupt in laughter once more. You had to tell yourself to just tolerate it, he was your boss after all. After a few failed attempts, a huge, white hand was extended in your direction. You looked at the hand, then up to the figure who had offered it. Ark’s golden eye stared down at your form almost emotionless, waiting for you to accept the hand. Your face flushed, placing your hand in his. His hand was so large that it practically absorbed yours as he hoisted you up onto the stool effortlessly before continuing to converse with Karma. You could still feel the heat in your face before the bartender interrupted, asking what you wanted. You ordered your preferred drink and watched as he made it, trying to pull yourself away from the anxiety you got sitting next to these demons. This didn’t last very long however, as once your drink was served, the demon began to speak to you.

“(Y/n), yes?” He looked over at you.

“Y-yes, it’s (Y/n).”

“Karma says you only fell the other day,” you watched as the empty space on his face split into a makeshift mouth before he took a generous gulp of the drink in his hand, closing it again. You noticed the empty space between his head and torso and watched as the liquid passed through and continued down his throat. The sight sent a shiver down your spine.

“Yes, I-I did...” you couldn’t help but let your eyes wander once more. Seeing him close up made all of the qualities you noticed about him before much more prevalent. His feathers looked like the softest things anyone could ever touch, and you noticed beautiful, yellow-ish marks on his forearms that stood out in the dimly lit pub. The tips of his fingers were darker than the rest of his body, and you could now see that the scar on his chest continued around to the back of his torso in some places.

“No ones had the guts to gawp at me like that in a long time,” gawp? You felt the embarrassment creep up on you as you realised you had been staring. It wouldn’t surprise you if he smashed your head in right now,”Think not of it. In fact, I’d encourage it,” yikes, he has an ego on him. You looked down at your drink and held it in both hands, flustered. You couldn’t help but feel relieved that this demon was, at least, not as horrible as you imagined he’d be. You considered thanking him.

“Um... Ark, was it?”

“Mhm.”

“Uh... T-thank you for the other night,” you mentally slapped yourself for stumbling over your words, continuing to stare into your drink,”I-I know he was just in your way, but I don’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t pushed that demon onto the road.” There was silence for a few seconds, Ark stared into the void as if trying to remember the encounter.

“Ah, so that was you,” he chucked to himself, his laughter rumbled through your entire body,”Gawping just as you were before,” forget everything you had just thought, this guy didn’t seem like a decent person anymore. He must have noticed your face exploding, waving his hand as if to dismiss what he said,”Don’t mention it, it’s as you say. I didn’t know you were there until that petty demon was sprawling on the tar road. Don’t be disheartened though, it worked out for both of us.” It was hard not to be disheartened, so you tried to take what he said with a grain of salt. You took a sip of your drink.

“D-did you really like my performance...?” You still had to work on not being so nervous.

“Of course, people don’t usually care for traditional forms of entertainment in Hell, especially when it doesn’t involve violence,” he took another gulp of his drink as he did before,”Heaven wasn’t much better - minus the violence aspect.” You blinked a few times, confused.

“Heaven?” You drank some more, Ark’s eye falling upon you.

“Do not mistake me for some demon - full offence, Karma,” your boss exclaimed some nonsense in retaliation for a moment,” I am an angel, but I chose to outgrow my duties as one long ago. It cost me my place in Heaven, but I never was a fan of it,” outgrow? You weren’t sure what that meant, but you didn’t want to be invasive and ask, since maybe it was how he got his scars. You nod, understanding. Ark was an angel, no wonder he stood out from everyone else. His entire appearance was, in a way, too beautiful for a place like hell.

“You’re staring again,” you jump at that, casting your eyes down again and aggressively drinking from your cup, your face as red as a tomato. The angel and your boss laughed, their voices bellowing through the pub, mixing in with the music and commotion of drunken sinners. You couldn’t help it, and you hated that. Even so, you felt relieved to be here instead of trying to force yourself to sleep by a dumpster in an alleyway. You smiled a little.

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: I feel like no one is as passionate about freelance singers/performers as me and won’t feel the hype I felt while writing this, but it is still kind of the prologue so expect it to get more interesting ig!
> 
> Also, I wanna emphasis the fact that you are in hell, and therefore were not a good person when you were alive. You will put the pieces together eventually if not already <3


End file.
